Bill Gates told Gates Foundation employees he "did nothing illicit" during meetings with Jeffrey Epstein while simultaneously apologizing for what he called a "huge mistake" in associating with the convicted sex offender. The Microsoft founder made the contradictory statements during a town hall meeting with foundation staff this week, according to a recording obtained by The Wall Street Journal.
Gates acknowledged meeting Epstein starting in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
"I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,"
Gates said during the meeting. He described it as "a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein" and particularly regretted bringing foundation executives into meetings with him.
Gates insisted his relationship with Epstein focused on philanthropy discussions, claiming the financier talked about "the kind of intimate relationship he had with a lot of billionaires" and could help raise money for global health causes. The presence of other prominent people at these meetings made them appear "normalized," Gates told employees.
Photos released by the U.S. Department of Justice show Gates posing with women whose faces are redacted, but he claimed these were pictures that Epstein asked him to take with assistants after their meetings.
"To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,"
Gates said. The billionaire also admitted to two extramarital affairs with Russian women during his marriage to Melinda French Gates, describing them as personal mistakes unrelated to Epstein's activities.
One affair was with a Russian bridge player he met at bridge events, another with a Russian nuclear physicist encountered through business activities.
Gates revealed he continued meeting Epstein despite warnings from his then-wife Melinda in 2013. He flew on Epstein's private jet and met him in Germany, France, New York and Washington but said he never stayed overnight or visited Epstein's private island.
A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation confirmed Gates held the town hall where he "spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions." The foundation previously stated it never made financial payments to Epstein or employed him.
Earlier this month, documents released by federal authorities indicated Gates remained in communication with Epstein up until the day before his 2019 death while incarcerated.
